Contents Chapter 1: Secrets of Planetary Magic Chapter 2: The Planets Chapter 3: Planetary Spheres and Planetary Hours Chapter 4: Planetary Hour Elections Chapter 5: Advanced Planetary Elections Chapter 6: Planetary Talismans Chapter 7: Planetary Ritual Pages Chapter 8: Saturn Chapter 9: Jupiter Chapter 10: Mars Chapter 11: the Sun Chapter 12: Venus Chapter 13: Mercury Chapter 14: The Moon Chapter 15: Al-Biruni's Planetary Rulerships Chapter 16: Lilly's Planetary Rulerships Chapter 17: Planetary Hour Elections from the Greater Key of Solomon Chapter 18: Planetary Ritual Preparations from Picatrix The Secrets OF Planetary Magic Christopher Warnock Renaissance Astrology www.renaissanceastrology.com 2012 Secrets of Planetary Magic, copyright 2010-12 Christopher Warnock Renaissance Astrology www.renaissanceastrology.com Chapter 1: Secrets of Planetary Magic This book is the product of more than a decade of study and practice of traditional (pre-1700) astrology and magic, which involved reading traditional sources, translating Latin astrological magic texts, creating astrological talismans, performing rituals and observing the results. My quest has not been to create my own individual system or invent new methods, but rather to become another link in the Golden Chain of Western esoteric practice, to immerse myself in the ancient Hermetic and Neo- platonic philosophies which form the basis of traditional astrology and astrological magic, and to practice astrological magic and astrology using the techniques and methodologies of our illustrious, pre-"Enlightenment" predecessors. Of necessity we must fill in the blanks where the sources are silent and we cannot nor is it desirable that we attempt to turn ourselves into exact copies of the mages of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. However, by first following the rules laid down in the traditional sources and then assimilating their essence, we can follow in the quest for magical knowledge and true spiritual enlightenment. Much of this book is taken up with the nuts and bolts of planetary magic, but I would like to begin with what might, without much exaggeration, be termed the secrets of planetary magic. These secrets are not tips, hints or recipes, but insights gleaned from years of study and practice. The first and most important of the secrets of planetary magic is the existence and reality of the spiritual realm. Magic and astrology depend on the spiritual connection of all things. Without a firm grounding in the spiritual, planetary magic will be weak and ineffectual. Secondly, while the creation of talismans can be viewed as the process of charging them with some form of energy, it appears to be more effective to view the process as an interaction with spiritual beings, in this case, the spirits, intelligences or archangels of the planets. The creation of talismans, says the ancient grimoire of astrological magic, the Picatrix, involves the action of spirit on body. The process of creating a talisman is the process of ensoulment as we invite the spirit of the desired planet to dwell in and vivify the talisman. This leads us to the third secret of planetary magic and indeed the use of the planets in traditional astrology. It is helpful to conceive of the planets as individual persons with their own distinct personalities. We will discuss planetary rulership later in this book and we can grasp the nature of each planet more swiftly if we view them as individuals with likes and dislikes, moods, qualities, attributes, strengths and weaknesses. This is also the best way to approach the planets in ritual. When we invoke the planets we are raising ourselves up to their spheres, opening up a door to their realm. The wise mage interacts with the planetary spirits in a respectful way. These are not Goetic spirits to be commanded, bargained with, or that require a protective circle, but rather angelic beings who may have unpleasant work to perform at times, but who have no rancor towards us, so long as we approach them properly. Further revelations flow from this premise. Since the action of talismans is to open the realms and influences of the planets to us, then in many respects astrological magic is different from spell casting. The power of talismans is primarily external to the mage and the effect of a talisman will always be appropriate to the planet involved, but